Controversy over facts surrounding a fatal accident in August involving a Scott County Sheriff’s Deputy continued to brew last week following the second of two related articles in a Morton newspaper. The article, headlined “City of Forest denies sheriff’s claims in deadly crash” reported, as did the first, that Deputy Hunter Carson was taking part in a “training exercise” when the accident happened at the intersection of Highway 35 North and Erle Johnston Dr in Forest. Morton resident Tyundria Agee died from injuries resulting when Carson’s patrol car collided with the vehicle in which Agee was a passenger as it turned left at the intersection.
Previously the paper had reported that Carson was participating in a “joint training exercise” between the Forest Police Department and the Scott County Sheriff’s Department. Both Forest Police Chief Will Jones and Sheriff Mike Lee disputed that claim earlier this week.
Lee said that there was a training exercise being held by the Forest PD at the time of the accident but that his department was unaware of that fact.
“The Forest Police Department was conducting training using their old radio frequency,” Lee said. “The police department simulated a traffic stop in which shots were fired at an officer. Unknowingly to FPD the frequency is still monitored in our deputies’ radios. What Deputy Carson, as well as other on-duty deputies, heard was a Forest Police officer make the traffic stop and then report shots being fired. Perceiving an officer was being shot at, Deputy Carson, who was on his way to lunch, turned his vehicle around, initiated his blue lights and siren and traveled back North into Forest. Approximately 20 to 30 seconds later the wreck occurred.”
Chief Jones said Monday afternoon that the sheriff’s account is correct. “It’s an unfortunate thing that happened,” Jones said. “It was customary training that we do. They were working on traffic stops and radio protocol and they did use an old channel that we don’t use anymore. We didn’t know that the county still had that old channel in their radios. The deputy heard the training exercise and perceived it as a real incident happening and responded.”
The deputy’s age, 20, and certification were also questioned in the article. “Deputy Hunter Carson is 20 years of age and was emancipated in the Scott County Chancery Court after serving in the United States Army overseas,” the sheriff said. “The emancipation legally allowed him to be hired by the Scott County Sheriff’s Office. He attended the MS Law Enforcement Officers Training Academy in Pearl where he graduated. On the second day of June 2020 Deputy Carson received his professional certificate from the MS Board of Minimum Standards.”
Lee also provided an Attorney General’s opinion in a similar case that states, “it is the opinion of this office that a decree of a chancery court containing language similar to or of the same import as that described, would allow a person under 21 years of age to become a law enforcement officer and attend a board approved training academy.”
In addition, the sheriff expressed concern that in the article family members of the deceased questioned MS Highway Patrol Trooper Derrik Qualls’ integrity in conducting the accident report.
“Derrick Qualls is a former employee with a lot of integrity,” Lee said. “If the wreck was our fault and the evidence showed it, he would have written the report that way. The day the accident happened he requested an accident reconstructionist from MHP. There is a totally separate investigative report from his being conducted.”
In late September MHP released the findings from their probe that cleared Carson of wrongdoing in the accident.
The report shows that the deputy and the vehicle Agee was traveling in both had a green light to proceed straight only and that the driver of Agee’s vehicle, Tammy Myers, failed to yield right of way by turning in front of the deputy. The report is also backed up by videos obtained from nearby businesses showing that the deputy had the green light to continue straight, the right of way, and his emergency equipment was on. The report states that there was an 18-wheeler waiting to turn into Walmart that may have obstructed the view of Myers.
